LOOPHOLES IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW CAUSE PROBLEMS

Allowing patients with a physician's "certificate" to legally smoke
"medical marijuana" seemed like a good idea to Michigan voters at the time.

They approved the state ballot issue in November 2008.

The concern among many now is, in whose back yard do the marijuana
grow places and shops belong?

And what of marijuana "clubs?" Are they legal? And where are they to locate?

To most people, voter approved anything is sacrosanct. Voters were
asked if they wanted medical marijuana and they cast the vote.

They said yes.

The only problem now is, to implement it, work out the bugs, develop
new laws to cover the loopholes and define what is specifically legal
and what isn't.

Even the so-called "experts" in the law are finding it fuzzy.

It would have helped if the law were more clearly defined when the
issue came up for a vote. But it wasn't.

People are going ahead with their legal right to smoke pot and
forming cooperatives, clubs and growing operations while the local
communities struggle to find the clear guidelines.

The ball is in the locals' court, not the state's. And so are the
legal expenses.

It's a difficult enough task for local communities to find just the
right spot to allow these places to operate.

We suspect the debate under way in Gratiot County is just the beginning.

There's the belief among some that while voters liked the idea of
medical marijuana, few envisioned a marijuana club next door to them
and would be strongly opposed if that were to occur.

Still, the locals understand it is their responsibility to find the
locations, even though it'll likely become a controversial hot potato
they'd rather avoid.

It should be the state's responsibility to provide clear and precise
legal parameters - while still respecting that voters want medical
marijuana available to those who need it - and not make the cities,
villages and townships try to tackle that on top of everything else.